PANAMA 197 



considerable export of mahogany of high quality. There is lacking 

 a definite forest policy, although the government levies a tax on 

 timber cut on public lands and exported. There is noted to be a senti- 

 ment for recreating the forest cut in mahogany. 



Norway 



The total forest area of Norway is 17,500,000 acres, of which 

 about three million acres are not productive. Private ownership pre- 

 dominates, with about three million acres owned by the State, com- 

 munes and charitable institutions. About 430,000,000 cubic feet are cut 

 from the forests every year, approximately one-third being exported in 

 manufactured products. An efficient forest fire protection system is 

 maintained in Norway ; a Forest Service administers the State areas ; 

 active support of the forestry movement is supplied by the Norwegian 

 Forestry Association, a training school is maintained at Aas. The laws 

 regulating cutting are not as strict as those of Norway's two neighbors, 

 Finland and Sweden, the laws differing in locality. No statutes re- 

 quire reforestation but a law compels the political subdivisions to 

 employ trained men to manage the forest areas owned by the com- 

 munes. A yield tax system is in vogue with a small tax on forest 

 growing land. 



Palestine and Syria 



Little remains of the forest resources of these countries, the 

 forest acreage totalling perhaps 750,000 acres. The Forests of 

 Lebanon are no more. When under Turkish rule the bulk of the 

 forest area was State owned and this still obtains. There have been 

 some small attempts to restore the former forest assets and beauty of 

 these countries but a long future of dependence is before them both. 



Panama 



Merchantable timber covers 12,400,000 acres of the surface of 

 the Panamanian Republic, most of it being publicly owned. Exports 

 are small, being largely in valuable woods and the imports are largely 

 in construction woods. The forest policy is not well defined but restric- 

 tions are imposed on concessionaires and it is required that watersheds 

 and windbreaks be left in many cases. 



